The Hard Work of Editing
Hearing What You Want: The Easy Way Out
After the illustrations for Rudy and the Owl were in progress, I started looking for book designers. One of the candidates for this job suggested that I have a professional edit, and she gave me two recommendations. I got in touch with both.
The first, an accomplished children’s book author, said that my work needed a thorough work over. It would take multiple revisions, and cost hundreds of dollars in editorial fees to whip my manuscript into shape. Of course, I was dismayed to hear this since I thought my draft was pretty good, and I had not planned for such a large expense in my budget.
I contacted the second editor who was also an accomplished author and prolific editor. He said my work was perfect and offered to do a proofread for a nominal fee. The fact that he had no children’s books in his portfolio concerned me a little, but I liked what I heard, and opted for his service. Then, I paid a designer to format the interior and cover so that the book would look classy.
On to marketing! I contacted my launch team, put together a mailing list, started a Facebook page, uploaded my content to Amazon, and ordered proof copies. Then I scanned the internet for options for editorial reviews and book award contests to scope out my options for getting my work noticed.
That is when I came across an article titled, “Oh the Mistakes We’ve Seen” detailing reasons why children’s books often fail. Number one on that list: complex vocabulary.
My heart sank. I did that.
It was a concern I had the whole time I was working on the artwork. I listed the words in my manuscript that were likely too complex. It was an eighth grade vocabulary list. I would have taught all of these words before my students encountered them in a chapter. It was complete folly to think that five year olds would understand if eighth graders wouldn’t.
Stop the presses!
Problems With Meter, Oh No!
I got in touch with the first editor who said I needed an overhaul and she took on my project. While I waited for her to get to my manuscript, I read some of the articles she published on her blog and discovered that it is not enough to just have rhyming couplets. The meter had to be totally consistent.
I studied my meter. It varied.
I spent the next week furiously editing the draft into iambic pentameter: ten syllables with alternating stress. I also attended to the length, cutting when I could, and tried to tighten up the narrative structure. It was a massive effort.
The editor finally looked at my manuscript. She agreed that there were too many big words, but more urgently she said I needed to attend to my meter. Apparently, my style was not iambic pentameter at all, but anapestic tetrameter: stressed, unstressed, unstressed. I had to go back over the whole story again and make sure that the meter was consistent. She gave me some great ideas for fixing the language, and suggested cutting a whole scene to shorten the content measurably.
Hard as it was to do, she was right, and as I looked more critically at my work, many other narrative snags were smoothed out as well. For example, there were several places where readers were being asked to suspend their disbelief just a bit too much. Every time Rudy encountered a bird in his search for the owl, the original premise was that Rudy would ask each if he was an owl. This did not make much sense in the turkey scene. A five year old would definitely wonder why Rudy would think a gobbling bird is an owl who hoots. Or in the crow scene, it was a bit of a stretch to believe that Rudy would know what a crow sounded like, but not what it looked like.
To Make Matters Worse...
Some of the changes on this second draft, though, made the story worse. The turkey really turned sour. He started out as a majestic, larger than life creature who somehow–probably as a necessity to rhyme or meter– became a rude snob, not a good look. The owl also had a few transformations before he became the “star of the show.” He was majestic, wise, even charming. My story did not help develop any of these characterizations. They were completely arbitrary.
These were the hardest changes, especially because the illustrations were completed. I had very little wiggle room to change the story significantly which is what I eventually had to do. When the narrative structure of the metaphorical concert was employed, I needed to add a scene. Luckily, I had an extra spread that must have been an early revision of one scene that turned out to be perfect so I did not have to have the artist create more illustrations.
Tips on Hiring an Editor
Arguably the most difficult task to hire for is the editor’s role, and finding a good one seems like a gamble no matter how much homework you do. Here are ways in which you can screen candidates and negotiate a contract.
Finding an Editor
- Ask for recommendations. Likely, you will be hiring other professionals like a book and cover designer, or a marketing agent. They are great resources.
- The Independent Book Publishers Association. This organization provides lists of endorsed professionals.
- Online group websites. My favorite is the Self Publishers Support Group.
Negotiating Terms
- Ask for a sample edit. Make sure the person you choose will be someone who will help.
- Review their website and look to see that they have expertise (or at least a healthy interest) in your genre.
- Many reputable professionals require payment in full up front, and they offer packages that they decide you need.
The editor I hired insisted I get a combo package with a deep commentary on my narrative structure, and then one developmental edit– no follow up. The package cost $450. I wanted the two rounds developmental editing option for $350, but the editor insisted I get the combo. I paid $450 and got a combo plus two rounds of developmental editing.
I ended up with the $350 package. My editor was an excellent developmental editor and I am grateful for her expertise, but there was not much feedback on the story structure likely because these services really cannot be combined in a one shot deal. An editor must review the first draft, a reasonable budget needs to be set aside for these services, and time spent researching options is well appropriated.